Rabbi Daniel Atwood was ordained by Yashrut, under the leadership of Rabbi Daniel Landes, in 2019. Born and raised in the Orthodox community of Teaneck, NJ, Daniel went on to graduate from Yeshiva University before attending rabbinical school, where he became the first openly gay person to be ordained by an Orthodox rabbi. Daniel previously served as the Rabbinic Intern at Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel Congregation in Chicago and at the Nyu Hillel. Daniel is passionate about social justice and LGBTQ inclusion, serving on the Young Leadership Board of Jewish Queer Youth (JQY). He lives in New York City with his husband, Judah.
Peninnah Schram, internationally known storyteller, teacher, author, and recording artist, is Professor Emerita of Speech and Drama at Stern College of Yeshiva University. She travels across the US and other countries presenting storytelling programs and workshops for all ages, and scholar/storyteller-in residence weekends.
Peninnah is the author of thirteen books of Jewish folktales, including Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another and Stories Within Stories: From the Jewish Oral Tradition. Her illustrated book, The Apple Tree’s Discovery, is co-authored with Rachayl Eckstein Davis. Her latest book, Jewish Stories of Love and Marriage: Folktales, Legends and Letters, (co-authored with Sandy Eisenberg Sasso), was published in 2015. She has also recorded a CD, The Minstrel and the Storyteller, with singer/guitarist Gerard Edery. Peninnah’s story and essay appear in the anthology, Mitzvah Stories: Seeds for Inspiration and Learning, that was published in her honor.
Jane Yolen wrote about her: “When Peninnah Schram tells a story, even the leaves on the trees stop trembling to listen.” Speaking about the power and role of storytelling, Peninnah says: “Since storytelling is a dialogue, shared stories create more understanding; bring people closer together as a community; and serve as a string that binds one heart to another.”
Peninnah is a recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award for Outstanding Jewish Educator (1995) awarded by The Covenant Foundation. In 1999 she received The Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network for "a body of work which is nationally recognized as a shining example of quality in the art form of storytelling performance." Peninnah has also been awarded the National Storytellers Network 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award "For sustained and exemplary contributions to storytelling in America" and the NSN’s 2017 Talking Leaves Award for her folktale books and essays on the Jewish oral tradition.
Penninah Schram’s participation in Limmud Chicago + MW 2019 is made possible through the generous support of the Covenant Foundation.
Peninnah is the author of thirteen books of Jewish folktales, including Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another and Stories Within Stories: From the Jewish Oral Tradition. Her illustrated book, The Apple Tree’s Discovery, is co-authored with Rachayl Eckstein Davis. Her latest book, Jewish Stories of Love and Marriage: Folktales, Legends and Letters, (co-authored with Sandy Eisenberg Sasso), was published in 2015. She has also recorded a CD, The Minstrel and the Storyteller, with singer/guitarist Gerard Edery. Peninnah’s story and essay appear in the anthology, Mitzvah Stories: Seeds for Inspiration and Learning, that was published in her honor.
Jane Yolen wrote about her: “When Peninnah Schram tells a story, even the leaves on the trees stop trembling to listen.” Speaking about the power and role of storytelling, Peninnah says: “Since storytelling is a dialogue, shared stories create more understanding; bring people closer together as a community; and serve as a string that binds one heart to another.”
Peninnah is a recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award for Outstanding Jewish Educator (1995) awarded by The Covenant Foundation. In 1999 she received The Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Network for "a body of work which is nationally recognized as a shining example of quality in the art form of storytelling performance." Peninnah has also been awarded the National Storytellers Network 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award "For sustained and exemplary contributions to storytelling in America" and the NSN’s 2017 Talking Leaves Award for her folktale books and essays on the Jewish oral tradition.
Penninah Schram’s participation in Limmud Chicago + MW 2019 is made possible through the generous support of the Covenant Foundation.
Benji Lovitt: Since making aliyah in 2006, comedian Benji Lovitt has performed for audiences around the world including Birthright Israel, Jewish Federations, synagogues, Hillels, and more. His perspectives have been featured on Israeli television and radio and in outlets such as USA Today, Time Magazine, BBC Radio, The Atlantic, and the Times of Israel. Benji has worked as a cross-cultural trainer with groups including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Masa Israel and is a popular presenter on the Limmud International circuit. During 2014's Operation Protective Edge, his humorous observations on the war led to his being called in Israel "the only reason to go on Facebook.
Leah Rosenthal holds a B.A. in Talmud and Jewish Philosophy and an M.A. in Jewish Education, both from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She has been teaching Talmud at Pardes for over twenty years and still enjoys doing so. She combines her teaching at Pardes with teaching at the nearby Pelech High School for Girls and raising, with her husband, their five children.
Rabbi Aryeh Bernstein is the Educational Consultant for the JCUA - Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, where he organizes on police accountability, as well as Chicago Director of the Avodah Justice Fellowship. He teaches Torah extensively around Chicago, including at Mishkan Chicago, Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel Congregation, and his home congregation, Congregation Rodfei Zedeki, in Hyde Park. He was previously Hadar's Director of Recruitment and Alumni Affairs, an Editor-Translator for Koren Publishers Jerusalem's English edition of the Steinsaltz Talmud, and campuses, communities, and organizations around Israel and the U.S. At Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, he co-founded and co-directed the Beit Midrash Program and Northwoods Kollel. Aryeh is a Senior Editor of Jewschool.com and has rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Daniel Landes of Jerusalem.
